Obama Strategist: Now is the time to strike Iran

A US strategist said that Iranian nuclear facilities should be attacked via surgical strikes sooner than later.

Last week, a US nuclear policy strategist said that a military strike against the Iranian nuclear program should be considered and may be considered the best option in dealing with the nation.

Matthew Kroenig, a security expert who served under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, made the statement in an article published in the Foreign Affairs Magazine. In his statement, Kroenig called a military strike the “least” bad option while also saying such action is not an “attractive prospect”. He also said that such an operation should be conducted carefully so that other countries in the Middle East do not begin nuclear programs due to the threat of a strike from the US and that global nonproliferation of nuclear weapons can continue.

Kroenig also warned against an Israeli attack, saying that the US should do so instead. He said that such an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would “likely result in far more devastating consequences and carry a far lower probability of success than a US attack." This is due to the likelihood of Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah attacking Israel on numerous fronts in the aftermath of such a strike.

Kroenig warned against waging a cold war against Iran and said it would ultimately be an unsuccessful, costly and time-consuming effort. Kroenig’s article closed with the statement that the US should attack Iran sooner than later via a series of surgical strikes lest a situation of nuclear arise in the future, a much more dangerous situation with far more serious consequences.

Iran has been under pressure and sanctions for the last several years due to its pursuit of nuclear technology under the aegis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad. However, most of the Western world suspects that the current regime wishes to obtain nuclear weapons for use against Israel, the US and other Western nations due to Ahmadenijad’s past statements about the coming annihilation of Israel and rise of Islam around the world. The sanctions have thus far been unsuccessful. Consequently, Israel has been considering a strike against the nuclear facilities spread out in underground bunkers in different locations in Iran.